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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Today and tomorrow the ETJ Tokyo Expo is at Toyo Gakuen University Hongo campus. Toyo Gakuen University students are participating as volunteers. Toyo Gakuen University teachers are participating as organisers and presenters. I am presenting tomorrow.

Here are two more haikus. Students in my Toyo Gakuen University extension Centre class wrote these haiku. The first haiku has a 2/7/3 syllable pattern. The kigo is ginko nut. The second has a traditional 5/7/5 syllable pattern. The kigo are shrimp, salmon and oysters. Enjoy!

I found
A ginko nut near my house
in the park

by Kuniko

What is in my fridge?
Shrimp, salmon, and oysters are
I cannot eat more

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Today we are going to start our second project. The second project is a powerpoint presentation about your favourite musical artist.
First, let's watch some of the presentations made by students last semester. Watch the presentations and answer the questions on the document called IE12 Powerpoint Questions. The document is in the lecture folder.

Now it's your turn. Here's your assignment:
Make a powerpoint presentation about a musical artist that you like.
Here's your project checklist:

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The students in the Paragraph Writing 2 class have been doing some very good work. Below are some examples. Enjoy!

Seto bridge is a famous bridge in Kagawa and Okayama. It connects Kagawa and Okayama. It is a very large and long bridge, 9,368 meters long. It consists of three structures: two different styles of suspension bridge and a truss bridge. It has a four-lane expressway and a two-lane railroad. The Shikoku district has not Shinkansen, but it has plan for building a Shinkansen road. So Seto bridge was designed that it can add more two railroads. Its color is light gray. This color suits this place. You can see a beautiful view of the Seto Inland Sea when you drive or get into a train.
Ayana S.Yokohama Landmark tower is a famous building. It is the tallest building made of concrete in Japan. It is 295.8 meters high. This building has 70 floors. It is made of concrete, glass and steel. The lower floors contain shops, restaurants, clinics, and offices. A hotel occupies forty-nineth to seventieth floors. This building has very many facilities. Yokohama Landmark tower is my favorite building.
Satomi Y.This is a famous building in Kyoto. It is a tall building, 131meters high. It consists of two structures: a tall tower and a rectangular structure. The tower is on the rectangular structure. The rectangular structure is hotel and shopping area. You can get a great view of the city from a viewing platform at the top of the tower. The building is made of concrete, glass and iron. The building was made in 1964. This building is called Kyoto Tower.
Kohei KThis is a famous tower in Tokyo. It is a very large and tall building, 333 meters high. It is the tallest tower in Tokyo. It was built in 1958. The color of the building is red and white. It has a rectangular base and an antenna. The antenna is cylindrical and thin. The tower has a big observatory 150m from the ground and a small observatory 250m from the ground. You can get a great view of the city from the big observatory and the small observatory. The tower is made of concrete and glass. It is used mainly for a transmitter tower. It is a symbol of Tokyo. It is Tokyo Tower.
Akitsugu K.Horyu-ji is a famous building in Japan. It is an old temple in Nara and it was built by Prince Shotoku in 607 A.D. There is a five-storied pagoda in it, which is 24 meters high. Horyu-ji is the oldest wooden building in existence. At the gate of Horyu-ji, a pair of Kongorikishi statues stands. In 1993, Horyu-ji was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. So, all Japanese know this temple.
Yukiya A.This is a famous building in Kyoto, which many people visit. It is small. It is three stories high. Although it was burned in 1950, it was rebuilt in 1955. You cannot enter it because it is old, thin and fragile. The building is made of wood and it is gilded. It was designed by Yoshimitsu Ashikaga. It is beautiful. It is a Kinkakuji.
Yuki K.The building is a university. It is located in Toyosu. Its material is reinforced concrete and its color is gray. Its shape is like The Arche de Triomphe. The size is about 25 meters high. The building has many windows, and has over 15 floors. You can get a great view of the city from the top floor. This building is S.I.T. Toyosu campus.
Daichi M.It is a famous building in Australia. It is a concert hall where orchestras play. It was designed by John Utsson, and made in 1973. It consists of the concert hall, the opera theater, the drama theater, the playhouse, and the studio theater. It is 180-meters in height. So, it is very high. It is a sharp face. It is made of granite and plywood. 1,056,500 tiles that were made in Sweden are
on the roof. These tiles are very beautiful, and this building is a famous sightseeing spot. I like this place seen from the river. Especially, in the evening it is beautiful.
Shun T.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Today we are going to study Unit 14: Could you tell me when we're there please?In today's lesson we will learn useful English that we can use on a bus.First, let's practice some vocabulary. Click this link: Travel English Vocabulary: Using Public Transportation.Here's a video about taking a bus in Tel Aviv, Isreal. Watch the video and do the quiz. There are 5 questions in the quiz.

Taking the bus in Tel Aviv

Now, use the Currency conversion exchange widget on the right side of this page. How much is 10 Isreali sheqels in yen?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Writing English Haiku is fun and useful. Writing Haiku helps you learn vocabulary and pronunciation.

Here are some haiku. Students in my extension centre classes at Toyo Gakuen University wrote these haiku. All these haiku are traditional in form: They all have three lines. They have a 5/7/5 syllable pattern and they have kigo (季語). Kigo are words that reflect the season. In these haiku the kigo are persimmon (柿) and crab (カニ). Persimmons and crab are eaten in autumn in Japan.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Every year in November, people in Canada, Britain, America, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries wear poppies. You can see a poppy in the picture above. We wear the poppy to help us remember all the young men and women killed in war. We also wear the poppy to help us think of peace. World War 1 ended on the 11th of November 1919 at 11 o'clock. At 11 o'clock today please stop. Be quiet for one minute. Remember all the people who we have lost. Remember all the sadness of war. Think of the joy of peace. Let's do our best to make peace everywhere.
Here is a beautiful poem. A Canadian soldier in World War 1 wrote the poem. I memorised the poem when I was a school boy. I recited the poem every Remembrance Day. I think it's a beautiful poem. I hope you do too.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Last weekend an amazing event happened at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Yoyogi, Tokyo. The event was PAC 7 at JALT 2008. Students and teachers from Japan, Russia, and all over Asia took part in the event. One of the most impressive parts of the event was the Asian Youth Forum. Students from Asian countries took part in workshops and made presentations. They shared their culture and they shared their ideas.Toyo Gakuen University teachers took part in the event too including Andy, Sarah, Claire, Cara, and me. Some Toyo Gakuen students volunteers as interns too. I hope more Toyo Gakuen University students will get involved next time.

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